There are feuds that cool after a big win. Lane Kiffin and Paul Finebaum do not.
Two days after Finebaum ripped Kiffin and LSU over the program’s fight to add former NFL players, the ESPN analyst swung the other direction following LSU’s 51-10 demolition of Clemson. Kiffin noticed the sudden praise and answered with a phrase made famous around the SEC: “rat poison.”
Lane Kiffin Turns Paul Finebaum’s Praise Into ‘Rat Poison’
During his Monday press conference, Kiffin explained that he actually welcomes Finebaum’s criticism because of what tends to follow.
“When Paul does it, I like it, because it usually means something good’s about to happen. But he is the definition of rat poison,” Kiffin told reporters. “He sent me today his own thing where he said about, you know, ‘We’re the hottest place to go, and every recruit should want to come here and everything.’ And so I responded back to him, like, ‘Thanks for the rat poison,’ you know, because that’s what your players read. And then all of a sudden they think, ‘Okay, we’ve arrived.’”
Lane Kiffin mentions that he appreciates Paul Finebaum talking negatively about a program, because it usually leads to success.
“He is the definition of rat-poison…” pic.twitter.com/1XqyncTjvC
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) September 7, 2026
Kiffin’s point was less about taking offense at Finebaum’s praise than warning against letting it seep into LSU’s locker room. The Tigers had just produced a debut worthy of hype, piling up 644 total yards and routing Clemson by 41 points in Kiffin’s first game as LSU’s head coach.
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Finebaum made sure Kiffin knew he had seen the jab. “Thanks for watching, Coach,” he wrote in response.
Thanks for watching, Coach. https://t.co/QnGmysclei
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 7, 2026
The exchange fits a relationship that rarely stays quiet for long. Finebaum has spent years criticizing Kiffin, while Kiffin has never shown much interest in letting those shots pass without an answer.
Finebaum Had Just Torched Kiffin and LSU
Saturday’s criticism was considerably sharper than the praise Kiffin described on Monday. While discussing LSU’s push to add Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris after both spent time with NFL teams, Finebaum called Kiffin a “child” and said there were “no adults in the room” at LSU. The SEC had filed a federal lawsuit, while LSU ultimately left both players off the roster for the Clemson opener.
Then LSU played, and the conversation changed quickly.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was central to the blowout. PFN’s current CFB QB Impact Rankings place the LSU transfer No. 15 among FBS starters.
His 79.7 QB Impact score from 2025 ranked 62nd among 190 qualifying quarterbacks, while his 94.7 rushing grade ranked second at the position. Against Clemson, Leavitt ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns as LSU overwhelmed the Tigers.
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That kind of opener is exactly why Kiffin does not want his players treating glowing reviews as confirmation that LSU has arrived. Finebaum can praise the program one day and torch it the next, and Kiffin seems perfectly comfortable using both versions as fuel.
For a coach who spent the weekend winning by 41 and Monday arguing with Paul Finebaum, normalcy may already be overrated in Baton Rouge.
